how to make a drumbuddy

February 26, 2008 11:25 AM

Has anyone ever made their own drumbuddy? Any ideas on where to find (or how to make my own) schematics and materials? Any other advice?

This would be for personal use only, not for pecuniary enrichment.

posted by plague to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

Quintron has sold kits before, but not very many. You might try contacting him.
posted by rhizome at 12:31 PM on February 26, 2008

Best answer: Not quite the Drum Buddy but I build modular sequencers for triggering bent toys, mostly drum toys. It also works for other toys too (talking toys, keyboards, etc). Pete from casperelectronics makes some amazing sequencers, mechanical and clock driven. His are also modular so they can control modified toys, modified instruments, or oscillator/tone/noise generators.
Gijs Gieskes makes crazy sequencers, like this one for an SK-1.

As far as the Drum Buddy goes, descriptions of it say it has 4 oscillators and the can with the light inside rotates. The light shines on photosensitive resistors, descriptions do not tell wether this is triggering the oscillators or affecting a constant tone. You could build your own oscillators and control circuit or mechanical/light trigger.
Look through getlofi.com for links to schematics for simple oscillator/tone generators which can be controlled by control circuits/sequencers, usually they will just be 555 based Forrest Mims schematics.
posted by sailormouth at 1:49 PM on February 26, 2008

I saw that guy live ages ago. From what I remember the coffee can had holes in it, when the light hit the holes the constant tones were interrupted. Done rapidly enough, it sounded like percussion.
posted by tremspeed at 4:21 PM on February 26, 2008